How to Conduct an Effective Job Interview

Conduct an Effective Job Interview to Hire a Virtual Assistant or Physically-based Employee

Remember that job interviews are an opportunity to form impressions on both sides. In other words, conducting an effective job interview reflects well on your brand and can influence the type of talent you attract. This mindset should hopefully motivate you to take the process seriously so that you can attract and keep the best (virtual assistant) talent. Here is how.

PLANNING FOR THE JOB INTERVIEW

• Review the details of the job description. By this stage, if you are already interviewing candidates, elements of the job description hopefully developed very tightly around the overarching business goal for filling the job and other key corporate level considerations like the unique value proposition, customer experience, your brand's core value(s), vision and or mission. 
• Figure out the overarching business goal for filling the job. This should become the factor that determines whether details and questions are relevant to the job interview.
• List the required hard and soft skills. Be inspired by the overarching business goals for filling the job.
• Review the details of the candidate's work history.
• Prepare questions. 
• Analyze, compare and contrast 1) the candidate's history and 2) your list of required skills to inform you of how well the candidate appears to match the role and what else you need to ask
• Prepare only questions that demonstrate how well the candidate aligns with your business' goals and profile. 
• Example: If the success of the job involves communication skills, provide as many opportunities for the candidate to demonstrate those skills. For instance, in the introduction part of the job interview, encourage the candidate to describe him / herself. Does (s)he respond in a very relevant way? Does (s)he speak in an engaged, non-rehearsed way? Can (s)he think on his feet and adjust his speech in direct response to things you said while introducing the business and job? Does (s)he listen closely while perhaps making notes for when his turn arrives?
• Example: If the candidate is a technical sales person who will provide customer services to the general public, ask him or her to discuss a complex technical concept to an old lady who only knows about knitting, as it relates to her. In order to assess his / her emotional intelligence, know the answer very well.

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• Prepare, practice and fine tune the agenda of the mock job interview. Fine tune your presentation so it is concise and effective in explaining the job, especially in ways that the candidate might not already know. Note your presentation time period so you can enter it in the agenda.
• Send the following details to the job candidate
• Job title (qualify the job title with specifics if several unknown variables exist like location, full time or part time, etc)
• Copy of the job description
• An explanation of any changes to the job description or terms that had previously been given. Include this within the body of an email. It is unreasonable, even unscrupulous to expect the candidate to re-read entire documents to find needles on haystack by chance
• a very concise version of the job interview agenda (and allocated period of time)

Example:

Part 1: introductions 

Delivered by interviewer(s): introduce interviewer(s), company, job. Approx __ minutes

Delivered by candidate: introduce self. Approx ___ minutes  

Part 2: Questions from both sides. Max 45 minutes

• Expectations regarding netiquette, dress code, setting reminders (on one's phone, etc) to be on time and so on
• Scheduled meeting time, location with directions, contact details and the wherewithal to use the electronic communication media (like instructions, access codes, etc if the job interview will occur online)
• Optional: Tools, training, support systems
• Optional: Compensation matters 
• Optional: Interviewers by their role(s). Example: The Human Resources Manager, Marketing Manager, etc

JOB INTERVIEW AGENDA (the day of the interview)

When you enter into the interview, you should have the 1) agenda, 2) questions you will ask, 3) list of credentials with spaces that allow you to make notes and 4) blank note paper

• Very brief pleasantries
• Meeting agenda
• In part 1, I will intro ... (Introducing parts in this way clues the candidate that you intend on having a monologue without interruptions. For the sake of contrast which reinforces the point, follow the statement with, 'then' we both will have the opportunity to ask questions of the other)
• Then you may make a brief introduction in response. [This is useful if the success of the job involves communication and an ability to remain relevant. It also allows you to see whether the person interrupts your introductory speech without awaiting his / her turn and other important indicators of communication style.]
• In part 2, ...

PART 1

• Concise introduction of the following, especially if unknown by the candidate and or otherwise applicable. Be as concise as possible. Details will be given in the Q&A part of the job interview. 
• name and role of each interviewer
• business name, legal structure. If applicable, include the following.
• Business' life cycle stage (example, 'we are still setting up the website")
• business activity
• Example: We are in the business of selling X retail in the A and B markets
• holding company name
• Job: 
• Overview as it relates to its significance to the business
• Example: This role will create an alliance between the 2 functional groups (x and y). Operationally, this means that group x does ... and then y does .... This in turn will help the business to achieve its x goal.
• Mission (within a relatable context of the job)
• Example: to create clear and achievable expectations in the minds of customers 
• Example: to maintain productive collaborative relationships with group  

• If unknown by the candidate and or otherwise applicable, include the following.

• Potentially confusing terminology. Example includes those that may be used interchangeably

PART 2

• Questions

CONTENT RELATED TO CONDUCTING AN EFFECTIVE JOB INTERVIEW

• A unique value proposition may guide you in writing an effective job description
• It is not enough to correctly recruit and select process. 
• Prepare to effectively onboard new employees to secure employee success and retention. Orientation should include training from how to use your BCC forwarding address to log their outgoing emails in CRM to netiquette. 
• Create a successful virtual team
• Customer experience (and not only customer service) should be a key consideration in recruitment and selection, even for back end jobs that can contribute and or strategically apply data mining.
• Set up virtual assistants as live chat customer service agents for your website for free
• Set up and train virtual assistants to use email systems (like Zoho that allows you to have free email with your own domain)
• Set up and train virtual assistants to use your customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
• Schedule meetings with scheduling programs. Options include HubSpot CRM and Calendry.